Mediapro will no longer produce La Liga for the next five years.

BarcelonaA change of script has emerged for the football league regarding its television broadcasts. The competition, which operates under the LaLiga brand, announced this Monday that it has completed the selection process for audiovisual production providers and that, for the next five seasons, it will work with the European company HBS and Telefónica (through its subsidiary TSA). The decision thus excludes the Catalan production company Mediapro, which had been in charge of the production in recent years. The packages put out to tender correspond to all First and Second Division matches. A related content generation package was also offered, but it has fallen through.

According to LaLiga, HBS has extensive experience in football broadcasts, having produced every World Cup since 2002, as well as matches from the Champions League, the European Championship, and the African Cup of Nations. In the case of Telefónica, it received one of the tendered lots focused primarily on international distribution. The company has also managed audiovisual productions for sporting events such as the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, and the Olympic Games.

Mediapro, on the other hand, disputes this story and does not understand the decision, which they describe as "surprising." In a statement, they announce that the company "will study any possible appeal of the decision." According to their argument, theirs was the cheapest offer for the clubs and, furthermore, technically exceeded the same requirements demanded by LaLiga. They also express their doubts about the fact that the contract was awarded to HBS, "a Swiss provider that does not have a single technical facility in Spain nor has experience in television production of a competition like La Liga, which unfolds over an entire season."

The Catalan production company headed by Tatxo Benet also describes the awarding process as hampered by the "secrecy and lack of transparency, and continuous changes and delays in deadlines, without Mediapro ever receiving an explanation for this." Mediapro also disputes LaLiga's statement because, in its view, "the virtues of the awardees are exaggerated, with manifestly inaccurate information about their credentials being disseminated and productions for the UEFA Champions League, the European Championship, or Media Media being wrongly attributed to them," it produces.

Mediapro's relationship with LaLiga dates back to 1997, when the first First Division matches were broadcast through Fuerte. Since then, they have produced some or all of LaLiga's matches for nearly thirty years. It remains to be seen whether the successful bidder, HBS, will subcontract part of the production of some matches to Mediapro (and the rest to other producers). Sources within the Catalan group explain to ARA that, despite the surprise caused by the decision, the blow to the company's foundation is relative, as the group produces twelve leagues worldwide. The diversification of business lines and territorial expansion, according to these sources, make the blow more symbolic than anything else. Last year, the group produced 9,000 football matches and more than 25,000 sporting events. According to them, the La Liga's good reputation internationally is also due to its television production, where even the smallest teams receive a high standard of media, surpassed only by the British Premier League, which costs four times as much.

Mediapro, on the other hand, retains VAR in Spain, as it is a contract it signed with the RFEF at the time and which covers the entire period 2024-2028.